Understanding the pathogenesis and molecular biology of malignant lymphomas is challenging, given the complex nature and incongruity of these disorders. The classification of lymphoma is continually evolving to account for advances in clinical, pathological, molecular biology and cytogenetic aspects, which impact our understanding of these disorders. The latest fourth edition of the WHO classification of lymphoid malignancies was released in 2016 to account for these changes. Additionally, unlike B-cell lymphomas (BCL), T-cell lymphomas (TCL) are uncommon, and may be sporadically experienced in clinical practice. These disorders are rare, thus early diagnosis is challenging for both physicians and radiologists, owing to the overlap in clinical and imaging features with other, more common disorders. We aim to discuss some rare variants of T-cell lymphomas, including clinicopathologic and imaging features, as well as to give a glimpse of the updates contained within the new 2016 WHO classification.
Lymphoproliferative disorders (LPD) are conditions characterized by the uncontrolled proliferation of B or T-cell lines. They encompass a wide spectrum of abnormalities, which may be broadly classified as reactive processes or malignant diseases, such as lymphoma, based on their cellular clonality and clinical behavior. While some of these disorders are rare, they may be encountered sporadically in clinical practice, causing diagnostic dilemmas owing to overlap in their clinical and imaging features with more common disorders. The updated 4th edition WHO classification of lymphoid neoplasms was released in 2016 to incorporate the rapid clinical, pathological, molecular biology and cytogenetic advances of some of these disorders. Despite these updates, very little information is presented in the literature from the radiology perspective. The aim of this article is to familiarize radiologists and other physicians with certain rare variants of B-cell lymphoproliferative disorders with a focus on imaging features of these disorders, as well as to provide an overview of some important updates contained within the new WHO classification of lymphoid neoplasms.
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